Buy a 1.28 gpf HET to Save Water and Bills

What is a 1.28 gpf HET? "HET" is an acronym for High Efficiency Toilet. "1.28 gpf" refers to the number of gallons the toilet uses per flush. So a 1.28 gpf HET is a very efficient toilet that uses only 1.28 gallons of water every time you flush.

Replacing your current toilet with a HET can save you almost as much water as revamping your irrigation system. Those two together can lower your water bills substantially. The HET is also the toilet for which homeowners can get rebates from water districts to help pay for installation.

Before 1992 toilets used 3.5 gallons of water or more every time someone flushed them. That's an incredible amount, compared to what is really needed! Water providers ran studies and discovered that toilets alone were using almost as much water as what you use to irrigate a normal size landscape!

In 1992 manufacturers started to design toilets that used 1.6 gpf called ULFT's or Ultra-Low Flush Toilets, and water districts began to distribute them to customers free of charge. As happens with all new inventions, some things about them worked and others didn't. Most of what didn't had to do with how the flush was handled by the existing piping system that carried it away. It needed more push.

In response to customer feedback, manufacturers experimented until they came up with toilets that used only 1.28 gpf, but had a higher velocity. These worked a lot better than the original ULFTs. Then manufacturers experimented with saving even more water by creating dual flush HETs that have a light flush and a heavy flush. The light flush uses only 0.8 gpf and is used for flushing liquids. The heavy flush is for solids.

These days experiments are producing toilets that use 0.8 gpf, no matter the flush (by changing the shape of the bowl and adding an air vacuum) and zero water toilets (by separating the two forms of waste from the get-go). Both of these toilets are out on the market now, and some water districts are experimenting with installation and testing to see if they want to recommend them to their customers.

In the United States there are two main types of HETs - the tank type and the flush-valve type (see photos). The tank type is what is installed in most homes. It operates using gravity to move the water from the tank down into the bowl and out with each flush. It generally has a less effective flush than the flush-valve type.

Flush-valve toilets are used primarily in commercial buildings, where the pipe diameter is larger. Flush valve toilets do not have a tank to store water. Instead the water comes directly from the main pipes every time someone flushes. This guarantees built-in pressure. Flush-valve toilets are more effective and normally cost more than the tank types.

Consider this: With a single user at home, if you flush a 3.5 gpf toilet four times in a day you are using 14 gallons of water. If you flush a 1.28 gpf toilet four times a day, you use barely over 5 gallons. That's a big difference - almost 2/3 less water.

Per month that would mean 450 gallons compared to 150 gallons per person. If you include flushes for cleaning and for disposing of other things, you use more. If you have more than one person in your household or business, you use much more.

Now imagine your house or company, plus each person in your part of town using that much water, and you can see where using a lower flush toilet can contribute a lot toward reducing the amount of water needed from our municipal water system.

Here is a calculator to use, if you are curious to know how much water your toilet and other bathroom fixtures are actually using: Water Consumption Calculator

The most common way to determine if a conservation purchase would be cost effective is to see how long it would take to repay the cost of installation with the money you save.

You would need to gather data on current use of the toilet (number of gallons) per year, compute the number of gallons that would be used with the more efficient toilet, and subtract to get the gallons saved (like we did above). Then you would multiply the savings by the cost of water and sewer to show the potential dollar savings on your water bill.

Here is a calculator to help you estimate your savings. Be sure to add the sewer to the water cost, if billed by the unit and not already included: The Foremost Group's Savings Calculator

After that it's a matter of figuring out how much your purchase and installation cost will be, then dividing by how much you save to see how long it will take savings to pay back the installation. Once you've paid back your costs, that is when you really startsaving.

The formula: Purchase cost + installation cost / dollar savings = Simple payback time.

Check the ads on this page or search online to find your options. Then you can either purchase online or make note of what you liked and go around to local department stores to find it. Some plumbing stores might have it too. Your best bet, if you have one in your area, is a Home Depot or Lowes.

This can be tricky! You will need to look for a recycling company - one that collects, if you are replacing a high number of toilets. Some water companies have held distribution events in the past, giving HETs free of charge to customers. They often arrange for recycling of old toilets, so you can call your water provider to see if they know of a recycler. Your city or trash pickup company might also be able to help you.

Another option is to keep the old toilet, clean out its innards, and turn it into a dual-level planter for flowers or ferns. You can paint the enamel outside for additional decoration. See this site for how to adapt your old toilet to a Potty-O-Planter: Potty-O Planter

In the meantime, until you do replace your current toilet with a more efficient one, be sure to treat it well. Keep it clean. Don't use harsh chemicals or brushes that could erode the surface. Don't put anything in it that doesn't easily break down in water.

Above all, if your toilet runs, stop it right away. Running toilets can waste a lot of water, almost as much as leaks.